Desert Chic

You bellas are so beautiful. Your comments yesterday brought happy tears to my eyes. Quite a few of you had beauty questions sprinkled in between the compliments to my hubby (as if his head isn’t big enough, LOL), and I wanted to share the tips I used when I was workin’ it in Vegas. I took a bunch of new products with me to see if they stood up to the desert heat!

The temperatures out there are typically brutal, but at this time of year it’s lovely to be outdoors. Strolling the strip on a September Sunday evening was breezy, warm, and comfortable. During the day, it’s definitely hot, but because the heat is dry it felt equally comfortable in the pool as it did in the hot tub. Weird. Because I’m so used to moist environments (Trinidad and Miami are both humid as all get out, but at least Trinidad has island breezes to cool you down from time to time), I knew I had to take special beauty precautions. Filling up my travel size bottles with coconut oil proved to be an excellent idea. The hairstyling products I took with me to Vegas? I kept it simple with pure coconut oil, Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk, and Miss Jessie’s Curly Meringue, which I used to style my hair in the black B&Lu dress photo in the previous post.

To protect my hair from drying out from chlorine and sun exposure while lounging poolside, I slathered on some coconut oil on the roots of my hair, and sprayed my ends (and the rest of it) with Phyto Plage protective beach spray, an olive-oil based UV protectant that is a tad greasy, but definitely worked to moisturize my situation. It costs $20 and lasts, so I’d say it’s a worthwhile investment if you’re a regular sunbather.

I already gave it up for the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer for all over body use, but what about the face? Poolside I used My Blend Power Veil, which kept the rays at bay. (It’s pricey, though — I know there are other SPF40 face products on the market that work well, so bellas on a budget should keep on looking).

This clear serum was sent me to me shortly before the trip, and I’m so glad I took it with me — thanks to Lierac, my skin didn’t dry out completely. On my face, anyway — I definitely have drier skin in my hard-to-reach-didn’t-get-enough-sun-protection areas, and since I’ve been back my organic sugar scrub by Sally B’s Skin Yummies has been salvation for the elbows, knees, and weather-roughened areas. To keep my legs and feet from looking like I was kicking flour, I packed a little sample of Nettiescrub’s body butter — it’s super thick and very moisturizing for problem areas (like the sides of my feet). Love me some Nettiescrub!

Let’s talk wedding day makeup — I wanted my look to last all wedding long, so I layered on my favorite MAC Paintpot — artifact to layer, and I lined around my eyes with my fave purple Milani color brilliance eye pencil. Had a mini meltdown when trying to apply fake strip lashes by myself, so I just layered on Shu Uemura Fiber Xtension mascara. It’s the bomb. On the cheeks, NARS orgasm, on lips, Cover Girl Vibrant Hue shine in shiny sugarplum. Judging from that photo, I could have used an oil blotting sheet or two, but other than that, my look lasted well into the wee hours.

Bellas, I am so behind on reviews, interviews, giveaways, everything! So look out for me next week, I am back and more inspired than before! Happy Friday!!

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COMMENTS

DblDee says:

September 26, 2008, 12:33 pm

Well Bella,
While you were away, I did my 'big chop' and today I styled my hair with the Miss Jessies Curly Buttercream and Carol's Daughter Tui Leave-in Condtioner....LOVE IT. Your timing is right on for me because lately my hair has been getting really dry through out the day. Will the Phyto Plage protective beach spray work for me or can you recommend something else?
You look pretty in the pic, by the way.

Ms. Aja B. says:

September 26, 2008, 2:33 pm

Thank you for all of the warm weather product tips!
My favorite vacation destination is basically any Caribbean location, so I'll be putting some of these to good use SOON!
Looking forward to more posts from you soon! Happy Friday & enjoy your weekend!

Mrs.Mckinzie says:

September 26, 2008, 2:55 pm

Hey Bella, I have a problem.My hair is doing some major shedding and I think it might be time for a cut,but i'm not sure.Can you please give me some suggestions?

heyhey says:

September 26, 2008, 3:31 pm

Sugarplum eh? I wouldn't have guessed from the site's color swatch that was the color you have on. Is it really glossy or sheer? I'm more the latter type (oh, btw LOVE the alba tinted lip balms your recommended a while back). I'm not a fan of the gloss/sticks that are so glossy you can can practically see your reflection.

Hillerie Camille says:

September 26, 2008, 3:43 pm

You are right on about the desert beauty care. I've lived in Las Vegas for 3 1/2 years and I have found that my number one beauty product is water. Also, I've noticed that if you have extremely dry skin, dry heat will make moisturizers sit on top of your skin and give you a greasy look. I've found several tricks to beat this desert heat and still maintain my beauty glo on the go.

Bebroma says:

September 26, 2008, 4:32 pm

Can you ear the Shu Uemura if you have contacts? Have you tried the Two Faced mascara? I'm always looking for a way to get fabulous eyelashes, not being born with them.

Bebroma says:

September 26, 2008, 4:32 pm

Make that wear!

Kweenie says:

September 26, 2008, 5:45 pm

Love your lipstick and will look into the MAC creme shadow. I like that shade you're wearing!

new beginnings says:

September 27, 2008, 12:14 am

Let me start by sayin â€œI TRULY ENJOY THIS WEBSITEâ€ itâ€™s been a blessingâ€¦
I not sure if my question will get a response; but Iâ€™m going to put it out there regardless. Iâ€™m a DARK SKINNED SISTA; planning a wedding on a budget. I would really love to get my makeup done by a professional, but canâ€™t afford it at this timeâ€¦ so Iâ€™m going to do it myself. Can anyone direct me in the right direction and provide me the name of the best makeup line for my complexion. I went to Sephora inside JC Penny and was so embarrassed after being told that they did carry colors for my complexion.. it discouraged me from going into another store. Please help !!!

LB says:

September 27, 2008, 3:02 am

Bella, I'm always loving the beauty tips. I love the necklace (I'm a bit of a jewelry freak)so I'd love to know where you got it. New beginnings congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I'm no cosmectics expert, but I know Bella can give you some wonderful makeup suggestions to compliment your complexion. I look foward to checking out more beauty tips especially for dreadlocks hint, hint (I'll be patient). Have a great weekend.

sandra says:

September 27, 2008, 4:38 am

new beginnings: do the trickle down. Visit websites online and look at the colors and visuals you like; and then way before the wedding experiment with similar colors from less expensive lines. Also, because brides are in the camera eye you have to do appropriate shading around the cheek bones and eyes and lip lining. As an experiment, take a picture of yourself with no make up, another picture with your daily makeup, another picture where you've used darker shading and much more makeup. You'll see that the last picture will look better, even though you may feel your makeup is overdone. The camera loves shadows and highlights: one of the reasons models with good bone structure is a necessity. Good luck.
Now Bella, I want to see that makeup case of yours, you used for your trip...Thanks for the tips.

You look fabulous in all the Vegas pics! Your skin is glowing. I LOVE that necklace you wore the the wedding. Who made it? It's soooo amazing.

new beginnings says:

September 27, 2008, 2:28 pm

LB and Sandra.... thank you for the support. To be honest; eyeliner and lip gloss is the most I've ever worn... the wedding is early November, so, I'll be going to Macy's this afternoon and look into Fashion Fair. Mrs. Bella... your face was beautiful.. your makeup went well with the colors in your dress. That beautiful smile says a lot.

Anjela says:

September 27, 2008, 5:48 pm

You have CoverGirl's Vibrant Hue Shine on in this picture? It's so pretty! Thanks for listing what you had on so I can start looking for dupes! :)

CoCo says:

September 28, 2008, 3:07 pm

Lord ha'mercy! I'm so glad I found this site! I apologize for not having any comments about your Vegas trip. At this point I'm still just reading, digging through old posts, and taking it all in.
Thank God for google...otherwise I never would've found this. =)
Have a good day!
c.

heyhey says:

September 28, 2008, 3:12 pm

Hey again Bella,
Quick note: Just read that Tom Ford's White Patcholli (the perfume he worked on with Erykah Badu-- or at least she's in the ads) is out. Plan on doing a review? I know, the steep price might be a big obstacle to get over.

bella says:

September 28, 2008, 3:16 pm

@ DblDee - so glad to hear you're making the transition! I like the Phyto stuff in general, but I'd say this beach spray is only essential if you're spending alot of time exposing your hair to damaging outdoor elements.
@heyhey - would LOVE to review White Patchouli, Erykah looks gorgeous in the ads. Will head to the mall for a sample before I purchase, though. Steep prices and today's economy are making me be way more careful with my purchases.
@ Hannah - thanks! I love octopuses, and am always looking for jewelry or tees with them. I got mine at a local vintage store, Miami Twice. But if you do a search on Etsy, they're bound to have some.
@new beginnings - you, beautiful bella, will be the inspiration for my next Ask Afrobella. Hang tight! Help is on the way!

Jamie says:

September 29, 2008, 2:50 am

Hi! I'm the girl in the green dress from Dino's that kept saying you smelled good. You did smell wonderful and I will be looking for that purfume. I'm not getting my hopes up though, the majority of purfumes I try end up smelling like Deep Woods Off on me. Which isn't sexy. Anyway, Katrin told me how to find you and I'm so glad I did. I will read more when I have time, but the little I did read and the little background Katrin gave me is very emotionally familiar. I was in relationship with an African man for two and a half years. Maybe we both let the opinions of our friends' and families get in the way, or our love just wasn't meant to last. Either way, the fact that any of this comes into play in relationsips hurts my heart. He will always be the most beautiful man to me, the one all others are compared to and the one that got away. I choose to believe that, in the end, we weren't meant to be, otherwise we both would have been strong enough to stand up for our love. From him I have learned a tolerence I never knew I could possess and a strenght that makes me cry to think about. I got chills reading your story about your husband. Congratulations to the both of you. And congratulations to katrin and Rich. I'm excited for the day I will experience that kind of love. Jamie